Hawai'i drivers v.Mainland

[Miulang]

According to the Advertiser, Hawai'i drivers (I guess they mean the locals, not the immigrants) have some peculiar driving habits (http://the.honoluluadvertiser.com/article/2005/Apr/24/il/il02p.html). I know of one sure way to keep cars from tailgating you...go buy a bike rack that sticks out about 2 feet from the back of your car. If the car behind you gets too close, it's likely to get impaled by the arm of the bike rack, if you have to stop suddenly. Since installing my bike rack, I've noticed that cars do keep their distance! ;)

Miulang

[cezanne]

Good article.. It's true that Hawaii drivers drive with a bit too much aloha (re:letting more than one car merge). What I don't understand is when people insist on trying to merge onto the freeway at the beginning of an onramp in near deadstill traffic creating another jam behind them. In those situations I go all the way to the front of the onramp then merge... followed by the shaka sign of course. :)

[craigwatanabe]

You know for some odd reason when some guy/gal/other tailgates me on the highway, they back off when I turn on my rear windshield wiper on my minivan. It's like: I can see you now so back off buddy, and they do.

One day I want to install rear window washers and aim them straight back and fill the tank with oil. They'll think I'm dripping oil outta my engine and they probably won't want all that stuff over their windshield. Yeah tailgaters, they'll probably end up in Hell or behind some cranky old lady driving a bus' up old Volvo sporting Earthday and hug your keiki bumper stickers on the back for them to stare at as she drives at house shopping speeds on the freeway. :D

[1stwahine]

I think I drive pretty good considering what ails me. Then again, if someone rudely pists me off while I'm on the road...I'm at my best at road raging. I only go for short runs and only on Sundays to Ewa Beach to church. Today, we take a ride to Waikiki and enjoy SOB.heheheheheh Sunset On The Beach, silly! ;)

[kimo55]

It's true that Hawaii drivers drive with a bit too much aloha



it is a sad day in Hawaii when this kind of statement and mentality becomes acceptable.

[kimo55]

According to the Advertiser, Hawai'i drivers (I guess they mean the locals, not the immigrants) have some peculiar driving habits


this is, of course, the perspective of a haole-centric, mainland owned, haole journalist written newspaper.
(haole dominated as well as haole sounding and slanted pieces...)

[Palolo Joe]

The guy who wrote the Advertiser story was Michael Tsai. So much for there being an all-haole staff.

[pzarquon]

The Honolulu Advertiser is "haole" insofar as it's Gannett owned, but given that much of the staff is local, I don't think that's relevant at all. I'll pick on Gannett for its business and management practices, and surely its news judgement is swayed by directives from the top, but the folks on the front lines there are just as local as the rest of us.

Besides, the story talked to several people, some of whom love things the way they are, and some who think local drivers are out of their minds. Which is to say, there's as much there agreeing with Kimo, had he bothered to actually read the piece. Sad day indeed.

I'm born and raised, a public school and UH grad. And I definitelythink some things local drivers do are just bonkers. Both on the "too nice for their own good" front, and on the "purely reckless" end as well. Of course, given local street design and our government's traffic "management" skills, everyone should get kudos for doing as well as they do.

[EastCoastTropics]

I just quickly read the article....on my way out to work here. I had to laugh because alot of these habits I don't find peculiar at all! I've lived here on the east coast for over 20 years and have seen my share of bad drivers here. The article says that Hawaii drivers also:

• Don't know what the left lane is for.

• Don't know what the right lane is for.

• Block intersections.

• Roll past stop signs.

• Drive too fast.

• Drive too slow.

• Aren't courteous enough.

• Are way too courteous.

Let me just say that all these points above are sooo familiar and I find that drivers here are all of the above with the exception of the last point. The drivers here can be pretty rude!

• Don't know what the left lane is for.
Here, they know what the left lane is for, but don't give a crap!

• Don't know what the right lane is for.
Same here, in fact, right lane is also used for passing slower traffic in the middle or left lane!

• Block intersections.
Uh huh, and pretend that they don't know they're sitting in the middle of the intersection.

• Roll past stop signs.
What stop sign? There was stop sign there?!

• Drive too fast.
Trying to keep up with all the other drivers! :D

• Drive too slow.
Going the speed limit

• Aren't courteous enough.
So?

• Are way too courteous.
Not here!

:rolleyes:

[cezanne]

it is a sad day in Hawaii when this kind of statement and mentality becomes acceptable.
Yeah take it from Mr. Aloha himself. :D

[admin]

Keep this thread focused on the topic of local drivers, not each other.

[kimo55]

The Honolulu Advertiser is "haole" insofar as it's Gannett owned, but given that much of the staff is local, I don't think that's relevant at all.



haolefied is one of many ways I can describe a newspaper that tells OHA; "wait, we gotta approach this verrrrryyyy slowly. You can't put a Hawaiian cultural center in kakaako. This whole area should be studied for years to find the "highest and best use". (towers and big development)
and tells us;
"drivers here drive with too much aloha"
and I refer to the newspaper, not the interviewees.

[Moto]

What I don't understand is when people insist on trying to merge onto the freeway at the beginning of an onramp in near deadstill traffic creating another jam behind them. In those situations I go all the way to the front of the onramp then merge... followed by the shaka sign of course. :)

Agree with cezanne, that is appropriate according to the situation. However, the thing that Mr. Oide was stating in the article, I believe is for normal flowing situations.

A lot of drivers will drive to the end of the on-ramp, then stop to look if it is safe to merge into traffic from a dead stop. The way to enter the freeway is to stop where you have a good view of the oncoming traffic and when you see an opening in the traffic approaching, drive down the on-ramp where you can pick up speed and match the speed of the flow of traffic so you can easily merge into traffic. When I try to do this at the UH on-ramps (the ones that are really short), about 20% of the time, the drive behind me will toot their horn as if to tell me to move to the end of the ramp.

What's worse, is when there is a large opening in the traffic and two or three cars will go down the on-ramp trying to enter traffic, and the car in the front suddenly stops at the end of the on-ramp to see if he/she can enter traffic. That is really dangerous because the drivers behind may not be looking forward, but checking to see if the opening still exists (yes, sometimes people driving in the middle lane of the freeway will cross that solid line to come into the right lane and now fill the opening that you were planning to merge into) and not see the car that stops in front of them. For this reason, I no longer drive on the on-ramp in tandem with another car. I will wait until the on-ramp in front of me clears and then accelerate when an opening in traffic appears.

Another thing I see a lot is when that car is stopped at the end of the on-ramp, people behind them will accelarate down the (now shortened) on-ramp and merge into traffic before the stopped car can merge onto the freeway.

[cezanne]

Keep this thread focused on the topic of local drivers, not each other.

OK, sorry boss and sorry Kimo.

I just didn't understand how the statement "drive with a bit too much aloha" is "unacceptable mentality". I think it's pretty selfish to think "screw everybody behind me, I'm letting anymany I want in front of me because I wish to exude da aloha!" "Oh you like make left turn into this oncoming two lane traffic? Go go! I let you! (boom... that car gets smashed by other car in the other lane who had no clue that I was being nice and letting people go). I have first hand experience of being the broadsidee. Worse yet is that it was my fault by default because I was making the left! :o

[kimo55]

What's worse, is when there is a large opening in the traffic and two or three cars will go down the on-ramp trying to enter traffic, and the car in the front suddenly stops at the end of the on-ramp to see if he/she can enter traffic. That is really dangerous because the drivers behind may not be looking forward, but checking to see if the opening still exists


It may be dangerous as hell, but the car hitting the stopped vehicle is at fault. It is the following car's responsibility to keep a distance, and, of course NOT crash into the car ahead of you. No matter what.
And every cop will tell ya that. and they have to me. You try to excuse your impact and the cop will say;
"It does not matter. YOU must keep a safe distance and allow for 'dumb' moves."
This happened to me (I hit a car) and I was competely at fault. Assumed the car was continually accelerating. But instead, they were being very cautious.
(too cautious for some people, I suppose).


yes, it is selfish to think "screw everyone beind me", then drive badly. But of course, that is not really what driving with aloha is. Unless that is the immoveable view of someone who would prefer to see everyone here, drive like they do in el lay.

I think we covered the "locals drive with too much aloha" subject a while ago.
This was some kinda poll in da pepah.
My perpective is; the more this island is covered with too many people wanting to move here from all parts, and the majority of these are from mainland cites where the driving habits are nowhere near Hawaiian Style, and add that to too much overdevelopment = too many people = too many cars = too many people wanting to get where dey going fastah, we goin have an island driving style that slowly has morphed into something resembling the 405/101 area. and it will be the popular view that people should NOT drive anymore with 'aloha'.
That is the proverbial sad day I lament. and that day is here.

[Miulang]

That kind of lolo driving is such a problem up here that the State Police have created a program with a bunch of unmarked cars (could be cars, SUVs or trucks...but they're all unmarked) cruising up and down I-5 looking for aggressive driving (weaving in and out of traffic, not using turn signals, tailgating, etc). If they see someone, they will pull them over and ticket them for aggressive driving, which carries a pretty hefty fine.

Road rage is such a serious problem everywhere. Last week, 2 drivers got into a fist fight because one of them cut the other off, and the driver who got cut off had 2 kids in his car and landed in the hospital with serious injuries from the beating. In other cases, people have been shot or stabbed. There's no excuse for this kind of behavior anywhere.

Miulang

[cezanne]

I think we covered the "locals drive with too much aloha" subject a while ago.
This was some kinda poll in da pepah.
My perpective is; the more this island is covered with too many people wanting to move here from all parts, and the majority of these are from mainland cites where the driving habits are nowhere near Hawaiian Style, and add that to too much overdevelopment = too many people = too many cars = too many people wanting to get where dey going fastah, we goin have an island driving style that slowly has morphed into something resembling the 405/101 area. and it will be the popular view that people should NOT drive anymore with 'aloha'.
That is the proverbial sad day I lament. and that day is here.
Naw there still is aloha out there on the highways and byways. I think it just depends on where in the state you're driving.

[Miulang]

I moved to Seattle in 1981, which was right before the "Californication" wave started. I can remember a time when the intersection down the street from where I live had a 4-way stop (just stop signs at each corner). People would actually take turns going through that intersection, depending on who got there first.

Then around 1990, they had to put in a flashing overhead light and "4-way Stop" signs. Then a few years later, they had to finally put in a real stop light because too many people didn't know what "4-way stop" meant and accidents and near-misses were a regular occurrence.

I know I'm more laid back about my driving now (having a new car probably has something to do with it) because you never know what that driver you cut off by accident is going to do to you.

Miulang

[kimo55]

ok, what was i saying?
Driving with aloha?

Was toolin down Kal hiway with some ayhole on my ass, tailgating, when I change lanes to turn left to koko marina.
he honks as he passes.
phakkin haole. If I saw where he turned off, woulda followed him.
Hate to see the mainland driving habits imported to our island. It's another scourge from foreigners.

My brother witnessed, near the Hawaii kai post office, one jerk ran TWO red lights within 1 minute!. The car almost hit him.

And a friend of mine was turning right onto kal hiway and this japanese lady speeding down the road runs a red light and crashes into my friends car. She required 37 stitches to close up the gaping wound on her forehead. Her bumper was knocked partially off, but thankfully the person who attempted murder, her car was all bussup. (just learned they were tourists... in a rental car)

Comin BACK from the gym, witnessed at the moanalua bay bridge, an ambulance was attending to a tourist who, while riding one of those goofy moped touron puttputt motorcyclewannabe things got hit by a black corvette looking car.


This all happened yesterday.

and of course, we have these too oft seen, accidents waiting to happen; the jaywalker. and they really must be suicidal. About every day, we see people crossing in the middle of busy Kal hiway and they are these japanese students attending that transpacific thingy school there ainahaina area.

ok people. kama'aina and malihini both. Slow down and drive carefully. And stop driving like an L.A. jerk.

[ExtraScoop]

When I visit Hawai'i I always notice the politeness and common sense of most of the drivers as compared with California drivers.

There really is no comparison. At home, in Cali, it seems like most people drive as if they are competing with you. I'm first. This is MY lane. Hurry up. HONK HONK. Flip the bird.

I'm amazed when I put on my turn signal and someone actually slows down to let me in. In Hawai'i, not in California.

[craigwatanabe]

Actually I've seen that kind of rude behavior on many of Hawaii's streets. It like a competition to see who get's Pole Position at the red light. One thing I teach my older kids about defensive driving is not to leave too big of a gap between you and the car in front of you because some dickhead will try to squeeze in between you and that car and suddenly your safety zone has deminished to a few feet instead of a few car lengths in a matter of seconds.

As for people wanting to merge into my lane, if they don't signal I don't let em in unless it's so friggin' obvious. People have to learn to use that little invention called the turn signal lever. I mean some engineer put some thought into that little thing and you bought it, so you may as well use it.

Then there's the guy who's signalling a right turn and has passed VERY MANY right turns. I mutter to myself: Pick a turn, any turn buddy.

And there are those who cannot decide which lane to stay in so they straddle the dotted white lines like a slot car, again I mutter Pick a lane!

And only on the infamous Pahoa Highway 130 (the deadliest highway in Hawaii) where people driving towards you have to yield their right turn to you turning left into the same sidestreet. Never mind that there are people passing you in the shoulder lane. It's no wonder there are so many head on collisions on that stretch of road.

No my observations are that there are many ignorant drivers in Hawaii. But if you really want to see bad driving, go to Thailand! Where the common expression is: Ahhh I make my own rules. :D

[kimo55]

As for people wanting to merge into my lane, if they don't signal I don't let em in....


Then there's the guy who's signalling a right turn and has passed VERY MANY right turns. I mutter to myself: Pick a turn, any turn buddy.

And there are those who cannot decide which lane to stay in so they straddle the dotted white lines like a slot car, again I mutter Pick a lane!



wow. chill dude. let em be a joik and give em alotta room...

[craigwatanabe]

No no no Kimo gotta kill em all and let God sort em out!!!!

Nah...I usually back waaayyyy off because you don't know what the heck these knuckleheads are going to do next.

Sometimes though my kids see me grabbing my E-brake lever and squeeze off a few rounds when I press the release button on the tip of the lever thinking it's a machine gun trigger in a fighter plane. Ahhhh eat lead you jerk! Ohh if it were only true :D

http://img304.imageshack.us/img304/9577/image0012jg.th.jpg (http://img304.imageshack.us/my.php?image=image0012jg.jpg)

These are actually balloons shaped like missles with tethers tied to the chase vehicle.

[kimo55]

Sometimes though my kids see me grabbing my E-brake lever and squeeze off a few rounds when I press the release button on the tip of the lever thinking it's a machine gun trigger in a fighter plane. Ahhhh eat lead you jerk!

while ya do the sound effex;
papapapakakaaapow!


meanwhile ya teachin yer keiki early on the important lesson of road rage and how ta use it.

[craigwatanabe]

yep it teaches them not to cut someone off who has a loaded gatlinger gun in his car! :D

[Pedro]

I'm sort of new to driving been driving for about three and half years now woopie! I got one speeding ticket so I don't speed as much. When I first got my first car a Jeep Cherokee, oh I use to gun it going to work and going home. I remember driving so fast I got home in nine minutes from The Bishop Museum to Mililani, but that was at midnight, and thank god I didn't kill no one pulling off that stunt. I drive with a bit more caution and I try not to speed and I don't tail gate people. I hate it when people do it to me or cut me off. Yesterday going home on the freeway this bastard cut me off almost nipped the front of my car. I wanted to kill him. I wanted to chase him just to give him the bird but figured I didn't need to do that. Why bother I was almost home.

About driving with too much Aloha, I have a friend and everytime when he drives by a shopping center he lets all the cars that are leaving the parking lot merge into his lane. And he tells me I drive terrible because I aint so nice as he is. I think it's cool to be nice but too nice pisses people off, especially those waiting behind the nice driver. ERR :mad:

[kimo55]

I got one speeding ticket so I don't speed as much.

hmmm.
speeding ticket = not speed as much...

what WILL it take to teach people a lesson?
Too many seem to be hellbent on being "an accident waiting to happen".


(wait, just caught this: "it's cool to be nice".
another hmmmmm.)

[Menehune Man]

Okay biggest problem with Hawai'i drivers: Just don't use the turn signals- for lane changes, freeway on ramps or even turns. I don't know why this is?

Best thing about Hawai'i drivers: Is usually letting people in. It's safer and actually keeps the traffic flow smoother.

Worse mainland problem: Too much going on while being in a rush driving. Phones, kids and always behind schedule so trying to make up time.

Best thing about mainland drivers: Nice car man.

[kimo55]

Okay biggest problem with Hawai'i drivers: Just don't use the turn signals- for lane changes, freeway on ramps or even turns. I don't know why this is?



here's the island style i was brought up with for decades;
Give em alotta room to be who they are.
don't judge, to the point of any stress.
Don't wonder and make huhu.
let em go do their nonturnsignal driving. big phaakkkin deal.
who cares. have a beer.


cuz if that's the most of yer worries, i will trade ya.

[cezanne]

Sometimes you can't use the turnsignal on the freeway... for some drivers that's the signal for them to speed up so you cannot change lanes.

[sinjin]

Since most people presently living in California are not natives, whose "style" are they driving with anyway? Not mine and I am a native. Hawaii's not the only place to have been invaded. I'm just back from Italy and Rome makes Los Angeles look like a bastion of politeness.

[Pedro]

hmmm.
speeding ticket = not speed as much...

what WILL it take to teach people a lesson?
Too many seem to be hellbent on being "an accident waiting to happen".


(wait, just caught this: "it's cool to be nice".
another hmmmmm.)


Let's just say my driving has improved from when I first started. Before my friends use to tease me and say stuff like "Did you get your License from a Crackerjack box?" I am much safer now than I was three years ago. I am not the best driver, and I try not to get to excited or angry when People cut me off on the road, or do something stuped. You should see one of my friends She get's angry and balistic when she drives especially during traffic, that I am afraid to go with her in her car, I am afraid she just might get us killed.

[kimo55]

Sometimes you can't use the turnsignal on the freeway... for some drivers that's the signal for them to speed up so you cannot change lanes.
that's the el lay style. sadly being imported to our islands.

[kimo55]

Let's just say my driving has improved from when I first started.


ok:
"my driving has improved from when I first started."


himmmm. doesn't sound any different.


and why would this be yer response? I mean, it's a given. Shouldn't everyones driving improve from the first day they set their aggro fanny behind the wheel?!


..I am not the best driver,

No one expect anyone to be "the best driver"




You should see one of my friends She get's angry and balistic when she drives especially during traffic, that I am afraid to go with her in her car, I am afraid she just might get us killed.


justifying your road rage by comparing it to worse drivers ain't the most intelligent arguement.

[Pedro]

ok:
"my driving has improved from when I first started."


himmmm. doesn't sound any different.


and why would this be yer response? I mean, it's a given. Shouldn't everyones driving improve from the first day they set their aggro fanny behind the wheel?!


No one expect anyone to be "the best driver"



justifying your road rage by comparing it to worse drivers ain't the most intelligent arguement.[/QUOTE]

Kimo I wasn't trying to make this into an argument but if you were than be my guess. argue away I have nothing to say. Laters.

[kimo55]

Kimo I wasn't trying to make this into an argument but if you were than be my guess. argue away I have nothing to say. Laters.

uh, wot dat!?
"than be my guess" ?!


I am trying to clarify your stance and reasoning.
t'ain't an arguement.

[craigwatanabe]

I think there's a problem identifying who is the bad driver.

If you drive the speed limit and thus create a parade of disgruntled drivers behind you, guess what...you're the idiot driving too slow.

If you drive like a friggin' maniac and thus create a hazzard to the rest of us who are also driving too fast but was beaten by your outlandish driving, then guess what...you're the jerk driving too fast.

So if you're in my way you're an idiot, if you pass me you're a jerk! And if the kids are screaming in the back of the van, I could care less if you're an idiot or a jerk because I'm gonna wring the necks of my kids when we get home and AINOKEA about all the other drivers whizzing past me anyway.

Depends on how my day was to determine if the other drivers are idiots or jerks. Das why I don't think I'll make a good cop. I'd be giving tickets to every idiot and jerk out there and pretty soon I'll be on KSSK's posse alert:

Okay Jason Yotsuda how's the traffic looking? Well Craig's out there again handing out tickets to everybody in the zipper lane so traffic's backed up all the way to the H1/H2 merge (better known as the killing fields). Bad news is everyone will be late for work, but the good news is that the City won't have to collect anymore in Transit taxes. Back to you Mike. :eek:

[Pedro]

uh, wot dat!?
"than be my guess" ?!


I am trying to clarify your stance and reasoning.
t'ain't an arguement.

Take care Kimo I am almost off and I will be driving home soon, in TRAFFIC.
I hate it but not like I got a choice in the matter, oh I do I could wait till it dies down, but that will take all the fun out of driving. You have a nice day. :)

[Glen Miyashiro]

Take care Kimo I am almost off and I will be driving home soon, in TRAFFIC.Uh oh, Pedro stay on da road! What's your route, brah? That way we know which way not to go. :D :D